DPR to regulate over-the-top media in Broadcasting Bill

The House of Representatives (DPR) of the Republic of Indonesia is incorporating regulations for digital broadcasting media, or over-the-top (OTT) services, into the Draft Law on Amendments to Law Number 32 of 2002 concerning Broadcasting (Broadcasting Bill).

Deputy Chairman of Commission I of the DPR, Dave Laksono, stated that the regulation is being introduced to provide legal certainty and equality of responsibility within the continuously evolving media ecosystem.

“The spirit is not to expand restrictions on OTT, but to ensure clear, fair, and proportional governance amid the changing media ecosystem,” Dave told ANTARA when contacted in Jakarta on Thursday.

He noted that the way the public consumes content has developed rapidly. Currently, the public obtains content not only through conventional broadcasting institutions but also through various digital platforms.

Regulation, he said, must be able to keep pace with these changes without hindering innovation and freedom of expression. Therefore, Commission I considers that the Broadcasting Bill should regulate not only conventional patterns but also contemporary broadcasting.

The matter of regulating OTT media or platforms was discussed in a meeting of the Working Committee for the Harmonisation of the Broadcasting Bill held by the DPR’s Legislation Body at the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Thursday.

The draft of the Broadcasting Bill, among other things, includes a definition of digital platform operators as “any person or business entity, whether domestic or foreign, that manages and/or presents digital content through OTT platforms and/or user-generated content.”

According to Dave, discussions on the regulation of OTT media within the Broadcasting Bill are still ongoing, and the formulation of its norms still requires further examination.

“Therefore, it is not yet appropriate to draw specific conclusions about the form of regulation, including regarding content supervision or advertising, before all the provisions of the articles are agreed upon,” he said.

He also emphasised that the provisions being drafted must continue to consider the balance between public interest, public protection, legal certainty, and the sustainability and innovation of the digital industry.